The Life of Anna, Part 1: Enslaved (9 page)

“Companionship?”

“A man...or a woman if you prefer. Our men here are very good lovers.”

“Thank you. I think I’ll be okay on my own.” The idea of sleeping alone and unhurt was a delicious thought.

“As you wish, Mistress. I will bring your dinner around six. Would you like a snack between now and then?”

“No, thank you.” I shook my head. “I’m not used to eating so much,” I added.

“I will see you at dinnertime.” She curtsied and left the room.

I had a whole day all to myself. No men. No being hurt. Quiet. I could read or watch TV as I pleased. I hardly knew what to do with myself. After wandering around the room for a few minutes, I picked up my book and went outside. Once again, I lost myself in the story and didn
’t come up for air until dinnertime. I hadn’t even realized it was getting cool.

I’d never seen this room before in my dreams. It looked like a study of some sort. The sheer curtains filtered the morning sunlight, making the room appear foggy. Dark wooden bookshelves lined the walls on either side of me. A dark wood desk stood right in front of me. A tall man with blond hair and broad shoulders blocked the view from the window. I knew him. I knew if he turned around, I would see kind, cobalt
-blue eyes.

I had dreamed of him many times since my parents died. His were the eyes I visualized on my worst days. My dreams of him brought me comfort. Was he a real person? I had no idea, but I wished he were. He seemed so strong, so capable. If anyone could save me, he could. I never told anyone about him, save the one dream I shared with Devin. He stayed with me, hidden away in my heart.

One time, more recently, I saw him kneeling on the floor of his bedroom. He’d been crying. It had shocked me to see a grown man cry. He’d looked up and our eyes met. I wanted to weep at the misery in his eyes. He’d spoken in a broken voice, in a language I didn’t understand, and reached out for me. But as soon as he touched me, the room vanished from my sight. That had been my last dream of him.

Until now.

He turned and looked at me. He had matured since the last time I’d seen him. His eyes widened and he spoke earnestly, his deep voice melodious in whatever language he was using. My heart fluttered in my chest. He knew I was there with him. I nervously stepped forward, yearning to be close to him, to immerse myself in his comforting presence.

He stepped forward with a soft smile, gazing at me with eyes full of affection. He reached out towards me and I leaned forward, eager for his touch. I felt his gentle hand on my cheek and looked into his eyes for a moment longer before the room vanished
like it always did.

I sat up in bed and touched my cheek. I could still feel the heat from his hand.
Anna, that’s silly. He’s not real.

I shook my head, trying to shake away the vision of him. In my dreams, I felt such comfort from his presence. When I woke, my longing for him was unbearable.

The days passed by quicker than I expected and I decided I liked being in Devin
’s Manor. No one hurt me. No one yelled at me. It was relatively quiet. Devin had visited me several times throughout the course of the week, each time showering me with love and devotion. Wednesday night he even stayed with me the whole night.

Ian drove me to my ballet classes on Tuesday and Thursday, and I danced better than I had in a long time. Even my teacher seemed impressed. I spent my free in my little yard reading. Could life get better than this?

Friday afternoon, Maggie and another girl came to my room to help me get ready for my first Gathering. The other girl was a few years older than me, with bright blue eyes and light brown hair tied back with a purple ribbon at the nape of her neck. The color purple seemed significant.

“Mistress, this is Sarah. She will also be serving you.”

Sarah bowed her head and curtsied as Maggie had before. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mistress. I look forward to serving you.” Her voice was as soft and sweet as Maggie’s was, though her eyes had the same edge of fear in them. She smiled a sweet smile and I liked her instantly, as I had Maggie.

I bowed my head in greeting.
“Hi, Sarah. It’s nice to meet you as well.”

“Did you enjoy your lunch, Mistress?” Maggie asked, walking towards the table. She picked up the tray, walked to the door and knocked.

“Yes, it was delicious. Thank you.”

The door opened and Maggie handed the tray to someone unseen in the hallway. The door closed and she turned back to me.
“Shall we begin?”

“Begin what?”

“Pampering you.” Sarah walked into the bathroom and a moment later I heard water running.

The words took a moment to register.
Pamper me? I remembered Devin saying something about it the previous day but it hadn’t sunk in.

Maggie led me into the bathroom and I wondered, for the hundredth time, why it wasn
’t cold. I asked Maggie about it.

“The floor is heated,” Maggie explained.
“Nothing worse than stepping onto a cold floor in the middle of the night when you have to relieve yourself.” She giggled and so did I.

A wave of unrecognized tension flew out of my body as I allowed myself the luxury of a giggle. How long had it been since I had giggled with another girl?
Years
. Tears sprang to my eyes as I realized how something so simple felt so good.

“Are you all right, Mistress?”

“Yes. I...” How could I explain how I felt? Would she understand? Had she gone through the training as I had? “It’s been a long time since I’ve been around other girls and...laughed.” I shrugged, embarrassed.

Maggie reached for my hands.
“It can be a difficult transition, moving from training back into everyday life in the Manor. I can imagine it’s even more difficult for you because you weren’t raised here.” She squeezed my hands and looked at me tenderly. “It will be okay, Mistress.”

I sniffed and held back my tears.
“Thank you, Maggie. You’re so nice. I’m not used to ‘nice’ anymore.”

“It’s my pleasure, Mistress.”

“Can you call me Anna? Mistress is so...strange.”

She looked up, horrified, as if I
’d asked her to strangle a kitten. “Oh, no, Mistress. Your status in the Manor is much higher than my own. That would be highly inappropriate! And Master would get very angry.”

I certainly didn
’t want her or Sarah to get in trouble. “Okay. I understand...I think.”

“The conventions of this place will become natural to you in time, Mistress. We will help you.”

“Thank you, Maggie.” A thought occurred to me. “Is it okay for me to call you by your name?”

“Oh, yes, Mistress. That
is allowed. We call each other as ‘Sister’ if not by our names. But the other girls should not address you so informally. We are not your equals. I believe everyone knows of your arrival by now and should know how to address you. Even the men should address you as ‘Mistress.’ Except Master. He can do as he pleases.”

I sighed.
“There’s a lot to learn, isn’t there?”

“Yes, but Master says you are very bright and will learn quickly.”

“The bath is ready, Maggie,” Sarah said from beside the bathtub.

Steam rose up from the tub and along with it, a scent that I
’d not smelled before. It was musky and flowery and fresh, all at the same time. Like making love outside in the sunshine. It was almost arousing.

Sarah held out her hand and helped me step into the tub. I gasped at the very hot water.

“The water needs to be this temperature to allow your pores to open. Your body will adjust in a moment.”

I sat down carefully and settled against the back of the tub where a soft cushion sat for comfort. After a few minutes, I felt my muscles relax.
Oh my, this is nice!

Sarah made sure I was soaking up to my ears and then massaged good
-smelling oil into my face. It felt so good I fell asleep, and they woke me when the water had cooled.

Sarah refilled the tub with hot water and Maggie washed my hair with a lavender
-scented shampoo. After she rinsed my hair, Maggie spent twenty minutes working some kind of oil into it.

She ran her fingers through my hair after rinsing it with warm water.
“Perfect,” she said. “Like silk.”

I ran my own fingers through my hair and grinned. The gleaming strands really did feel like silk. My hair had never been so soft before. Maggie gently pulled my head back onto the cushion and I felt her play with my hair.
“I must braid it before it dries or the braids won’t stay in.”

Sarah manicured my fingers and toes while Maggie braided my hair. When they were finished, I stepped out into an awaiting pink plush robe.

Maggie pulled me in front of the mirror. “What do you think?” She grinned.

I looked up and barely recognized the face that stared back at me. My skin was flawless and glowing with health. Most of my hair hung loosely down my back, with the top part worked into many tiny braids
. Maggie had pulled the braids back away from my face to meet high up on the back of my head and then drawn them into a multi-strand thin braid that ran down my back.

“After your hair dries I’ll brush the loose strands and apply some oil so it’s extra soft and touchable,” Maggie explained. “You’ll have a circlet that sits on top here after you dress.” She
pointed to the top of my head. “And I’ll pull some gold threads through the braids as well.”

“It all sounds so elegant,” I said in a hushed voice.

“Master is eager to show you off, Mistress.” Maggie smiled. “The other girls will be envious of the attention you garner, but Master won’t let just any man have you. They’ll have to ask his permission. That is an honorable position for any girl. Normally, any man can use us at any time. If we say no we are severely punished.” A pained look came into her eyes and disappeared quickly. “You are fortunate to have gained Master’s favor.”

“What do the men do to us?” I asked as we walked into the bedroom. I swallowed, trying to push away the nauseated feeling that had just swept over me. Would tonight be like being back at Jack’s house?

“Sometimes they are content to have you just sit on their laps. More often than not, they want oral sex. They like it when we sit between their legs and suck on their cocks. I think it makes them feel powerful.” She paused. “Sometimes the men just want sex and other times they want something harder.” She shuddered. “But if they want something harder, they have to use the Red Girls. Not that that stops them from being forceful with us common girls. They just can’t take us into the Red Room.”

“What’s the Red Room?” It didn’t sound like a good place.

She sighed. “The easiest way to explain it is to have you think back to your training.”

I grimaced, not wanting those horrible memories to return.

“That is what the Red Room is like. Going back to training, but not with a trainer. Just for the pleasure of the man. But the Red Girls have special privileges. And, unless they are forced into it out of punishment, most of them get off on the pain. I don’t understand it, but I guess I don’t have to.”

I looked at her, horrified. Why would anyone want to go back to training? But then again, Jack had shown me plenty of pornography movies with women enjoying going through what I had gone through on a daily basis. I shuddered and tried to push the pictures out of my mind. I searched my mind desperately for another topic.
“What are the Gatherings like?”

Maggie seemed glad to move off the Red topic as well.

Sarah came out of the bathroom. “I will return later,” she said. She curtsied and went to the door to be let out.

“Are you allowed to sit?” I asked, motioning to the easy chair and ottoman.

“I am,” Maggie said and settled herself on the ottoman, back straight and hands in her lap.

I sat down on my bed and drew my knees up to my chest.

“The Gatherings happen every Friday night, and it is where the men come to relax or do business. We are there to please them in whatever way they want to be pleased. Sometimes there are rituals performed, such as the initiation of a new member. In that case, we wait and watch on the balconies and the men assemble on the bottom floor. When the rituals are done, we join the men downstairs. Did I hear correctly that Master took you to the Hall?”

I nodded.
“It’s huge.”

“It is. Many men come to the gatherings, so it needs to be so. The formal occasions are more crowded than the informal ones. Tonight is informal.”
She adjusted the folds of her dress. “We sit along the edge of the room and wait for a man to come get us.” She shrugged. “It’s not very exciting, but we are necessary.”

“Does Dev
- I mean, does Master ever ‘have’ one of you?” For some reason, the thought of Devin being with someone else bothered me.